By Jackson Onyango
The former Managing Director of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), Richard Byarugaba on Friday accused the minister for gender, labour and social development, Betty Amongi of frustrating and interfering with operations of the fund.
Byarugaba rebuked the dual supervision of the fund by both the labour ministry and that of finance, planning and economic development.
He interfaced with the members of the select committee of Parliament set up to investigate the claimed mismanagement at the fund on Friday afternoon. The NSSF Act as amended bestowed the supervision role on the minister of gender, labour and social development and the minister of finance, planning and economic development.
Byarugaba contended that the dual supervision has slowed down processes at the Fund. He expressed fears about the possible decline in interest rate that will be paid to members in the next round. The argument is that while the ministry of finance is responsible for investment, the gender ministry is on the other hand charged with budget approval.
Byarugaba told the committee that investment decisions are taken based on the available budget.
But in this case, he accused Amongi for interfering and frustrating approval of the budget something he argued that derailed the implementation of investment.
A case in point is the land in Nakigalala that Byarugaba told the members of the select committee that it was valued at Shs220 billion.
However, the figure the select committee members were furnished with showed that the land had been valued at Shs400 billion which the minister for gender, labour and social development Betty Amongi confirmed to have been the case. But Byarugaba contended that the money was for several plots of land.
Amongi told members of the committee on Thursday that the management failed to provide the report of due diligence on the land which prompted her to defer the budget. Byarugaba also hinted at the Shs40 billion request for the grain council and the contentious Shs6 billion.
He said that he highly believed that the Shs6 billion would end up at the ministry of gender, arguing that it would be difficult for him to ask for accountability from his supervisor.
